Reversing Right-Wing SPIN

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The Reverse Spin

This is a Liberal political blog. I am an obsessively logical and analytical person, and never even paid attention to politics until the Clinton impeachment and the 2000 election (what I call "The Great American Coup"). I did not become a Liberal through feel-good concepts and emotions. I became a Liberal through logic and analysis, and with an end-point goal of the American ideals and beliefs we all hold, such as Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I have been debunking Conservative & Republican SPIN since the great American coup of 2000. Please do not come here to perpetuate the lies and deceit of the Right Wing. Otherwise....

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The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution ends “…the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Had the intention been for this to be an absolute, unalienable right, like Life and Liberty, then this would be the complete Amendment. But there is more. It begins with “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State…” This statement of fact was true at the time.

So, why is this first part included? Certainly, the Framers were not in the habit of throwing in completely unrelated facts. It’s obvious that the need for a militia, which at the time would require members to bring their own weapons, necessitated the right to bear arms. This begs the question “What happens if a militia is no longer necessary to the security of a free state?”

Now, before all you gun owners get “up in arms,” I am not necessarily against private ownership of weapons. I am against the wide-spread abuse of the 2nd Amendment perpetrated by those who take the last part out of context and use it to prevent ANY kind of regulations or limitations, no matter how reasonable. Disagree? Ask yourself it it would make you nervous to learn that your neighbor was building an arsenal of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons in his basement. If the answer is ‘yes’, then you agree that society has the right and obligation to impose at least some level of limitation on private ownership of weapons.

I have to shudder whenever I hear someone use the tired, worn-out, and deceptive cliché “all politicians lie.” That’s a classic example of lying with the truth. Saying that all politicians lie is like saying that all NBA players are tall. But if height were lies, the GOP would be the Manute Bol’s and Yao Ming’s of Congress while the Democrats would be the Muggsy Bouges’s and Spud Webb’s!

Sure, politicians on both sides of the isle lie as individuals about some scandal or fraud, but the GOP lies in unity as a PARTY. Their entire existence depends on weaving a web of lies to keep the Conservative Nation living in a false reality, and thus continue their voting for Republicans. There are only two kinds of Republican voters in America, the very few wealthy and powerful deceivers, and the very many well-meaning, but deceived voters.

It would not surprise me to learn that the secret motto of the GOP was “If at first you don’t deceive, lie, lie again!” I know there are a lot of government haters out there, but the only thing wrong with the government is that those who hate the government keep electing Republicans who screw up the government! It’s all controlled by the wealthy and powerful, This is not jealousy talking. Don’t hate the wealthy for having made it up the ladder of success, hate them for doing everything they can to pull that ladder up behind them so no one else can follow.

It ain’t rocket science. It’s the economy, and it’s not that difficult to understand. Whether you call it “Trickle-Down” vs. “Bubble-Up” economics or “Supply-Side” vs. “Demand-Side” economics, it boils down to one simple question. In a recession, do you get more money into the hands of consumers, or do you try to get more money into the hands of the wealthy?

When consumers are suffering and have no money to spend beyond the necessities of life, there is NO discretionary spending, and thus NO demand for products and services. Proponents of Trickle-Down argue that getting more money to “Job Makers” creates jobs that will put money into the hands of consumers. The fatal flaw in that argument is that it’s putting the cart before the horse. No matter how much cash they have on hand, business decision-makers in their right minds will NEVER add jobs and increase production if there is no demand for their products – period!

The purpose of any business is to make a profit by satisfying consumer demand. No demand, no profits, no new jobs. However, if consumer demand is high and businesses have no on-hand cash, banks love it because that’s when giving business loans is low-risk because of the potential profits. No bank ever loaned dirt-poor consumers money to increase their spending power.

Sorry Conservatives, but your stoic belief in Trickle-Down is misguided, and the GOP’s constant mantra about “Job-Makers” is a deception, especially in a recession – an intentional deception.

Here are my two most recent letters to the editor at the local newspaper:

11/10/14

It seems that Republicans had a huge victory in the mid-term elections. It is difficult to fathom why Conservatives in this country continue to support the GOP. For 6 years, the GOP has grid-locked the government with unprecedented obstructionism, including unprecedented use of the filibuster in the Senate and government shut-downs. The GOP has only one agenda – get as much money as possible to the wealthy at the expense of the middle class and poor. The GOP still thinks women should be barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen, they continue to preach the huge hoax known as trickle-down economics (which has never worked and never will), if they could they would get rid of Social Security, Medicare, welfare, unemployment insurance, and any other social program that puts spending power in the hands of the non-wealthy.

The GOP has blocked (or tried to block) immigration reform, student debt relief, equal pay, women’s rights, health care reform, minimum wage increases, gay rights, and just about everything else. The GOP still wants to deregulate corporate greed and make slaves of workers, while causing financial meltdowns and destroying the economy. They want to force everyone into the same religion. At the state level, they have engaged in massive voter suppression of minorities, and disbanded elected local governments in minority areas. The anti-science GOP adjusts the facts to fit ideology instead of the other way around.

And yet, they win elections?? America is dying a slow death from self-inflicted wounds.

12/15/14

Do you miss the economic collapse of 2008? Do you long for the good old days of double-digit unemployment, predatory lending practices and skyrocketing foreclosure rates? Do you wish that the DOW was below 8000 again? Well take heart friend, the Republicans are taking control of Congress, and they can get us back to those good old days in nothing flat! In fact, they have already started deregulating the big banks again by slipping an amendment into the current budget that removes restrictions preventing big banks from practicing high-risk behaviors (like derivatives, etc.), while putting at risk the money entrusted to them by their depositors – one of the exact practices that caused the 2008 collapse in the first place. And guess what? That amendment was actually written by CitiGroup! Way to go GOP!

Nothing good ever comes from a Republican-controlled Congress, but heck, just blame it on the black President and an imaginary massive invasion of illegal immigrants like you always do, and throw in them Gays for good measure. That will fit right into the alternate, anti-reality universe called the “Conserverse.”

But don’t worry about those of us who have escaped our Matrix pods and can see clearly and think for ourselves. Don’t worry about the increasing number of Americans born into such deep pits of poverty that they can never climb out. If any of us protest, we can simply be shot down, unarmed in the streets, by some para-military police force, right?

There are 2 ways the 1% in this country can maintain and increase their wealth. They can buy politicians and steal from the 99% by reducing wages and ending social programs, OR they can help the 99% become more affluent by increasing wages and paying higher taxes so the government can maintain social programs.

Now, the first way is quick and easy, but not sustainable in the long term. It causes much hardship and harm, and bypasses the economic engine through which consumers buy products and services. The 2nd way seems counter-intuitive, but in the long run is the stronger and better way for the 1% to increase their wealth (even though they pay higher taxes). Buy funneling money through the economic engine and helping the 99% have more money to spend, value is added because the demand for products sparks innovation and investment (even if businesses have to take out loans, which is good for the financial industry as well).

Simply moving money from the 99% to the 1% via higher taxes, lower wages, and less government spending on social programs does NOT add value to the system, it simply pads the bank accounts of the wealthy. Consumers have no money to spend, and no business person in their right mind is going to innovate and invest in new jobs if there is no demand for their products. On the other side of the coin, no bank is going to loan money to consumers with low-paying jobs just to put food on their table.

The more affluent the 99% become, the more spending there is, the stronger the economy becomes, and the wealthier the 99% become, but at the same time, the entire country has a better standard of living. Even if you believe in Capitalism and the free market, consumer demand is the key to success, not fat bank accounts for the 1% while the 99% remain destitute.

The potential of any nation is equal to the summation of the potentials of each and every citizen of that nation. Since potential is non-transferable, when any citizen falls short of their potential, so does the nation.

THAT is why the Liberals have it right – for the good of the nation, it’s government should be doing all it can to see that each and every citizen has the best chance possible to reach their potential. THAT means removing the obstacles, such as HARDSHIP, andopening the path to accomplishment by providing OPPORTUNITY.

The side of today’s issues that the Liberals and Progressives are on is all about reducing hardship and providing opportunity to those having the most difficulty reaching their potential. The wealthy and powerful have already gone a long way towards reaching their potential. The middle class and the poor still have a very long way to go. Conservatives and the GOP fight to give MORE to those who already HAVE, and THAT is the OPPOSITE of what needs to be done to help America reach her full potential.

The only “equality” we are all born with is the fact that we all have some level of potential. Nothing else is “equal.” The circumstances we are born into varies from abject poverty to wealth & power. Those circumstances go a long way in determining just how close to fulfilling our potential we will be able to get, and how difficult it will be.

There is no law of nature that states that the greatest potential will be born into the best circumstances. Great potential can appear anywhere and in anyone. So, it behooves a society, a nation, a species, to nurture and help those who are born into the most limiting circumstances to ensure that great potential is not lost or suppressed.

Anyone who does not vote in this, or any, election has no standing for complaining about the result or impact (immediate or long-term) from the election. Unfortunately, those in this country who understand the truth of those results and impacts are also the least likely to vote. Those who are blinded to the truth by hate, fear, racism, and anger are the most likely to vote. The GOP knows all of this and takes full advantage of the situation. The only way to stop them is for thinking Americans to get out and vote in greater numbers than those who only think with their brain stems.